Banquet of Confusion
by miss.ninja.kimi
Summary: Five sophomores, Roxas, Naminé, Riku, Sora, and Kairi, journey through high school, trying not to let secrets and splitups drive them insane. Drama, parties, betchfights, and more can be found in this charming high school tale. [roxnami & sorkairiku]
1. Party At Marly's

**b**anquet.**o**f.**c**onfusion

**p**airing ::

roxminé & slight namiel

**s**ummary ::

it was just a simple party … until familiar faces sprang up again. AU.

The music was loud, the people were laughing, the fun was never-ending. Wait, scratch that. Fun? What fun was this?

I clutched onto a glass of brandy like my life depended on it. It was slippery, the glass, for the alcohol had slipped and sloshed out of it occasionally, when I shook from nervousness. I had nothing else to hold on to, and I so desperately needed comfort. This party was wild and crazy, nothing like the peace I was used to back home. Yet, Naminé promised she'd be here. And when I look back at it, that was the only reason I was here. For her, I guess. I always do so much for her.

The curtains of the stranger's apartment were now ripped, shattered shot glasses scattered across the floor so that I had to tip toe when I walked. _Crack. _Occasionally one of my sneakers would step on a sliver of the broken crystals, making me cringe. All I wanted was to find Naminé in this mess. Where was she? And why did she want me here in the first place? How anyone thought this was fun was beyond me.

I glanced down at the glass of brandy I held and took a quick sip, just to quench my thirst. It was everything but pleasant to taste. In fact, this party itself was everything but pleasant as well. And the more torture I was put through, the more I just wanted to find Naminé.

After more weaving through the crowds, a man with pink hair came stumbling across my path. He held a bottle of liquor, and was drinking it without even bothering to pour it in a glass. I recognized him as Marluxia, a senior at Thallassa High. My eyes widened, for he never struck me as the type to get wasted. But then again, I never got to know him very well. Then it struck me. Was this his apartment? The more I thought about it, going to a party at an apartment whom you didn't even know belonged to was a tad foolish.

As I was thinking this, Marluxia pats me on the head, as if I was a dog of some sort. "Enjoyin' the party?" he asked, waving his liquor bottle around with much gusto. I nodded and smiled to the best of my ability, which made him happy. He didn't leave before ruffling my head of blonde hair and bounding off to chase some blonde woman who was scantily clad, also with a bottle of liquor.

I was about ready to give up when I hear a voice call my name.

"Roxas."

Turning around as quickly as possible for my vertically challenged self, my eyes scanned for whoever had called my name. Had I been hearing things? Maybe not. Or maybe I had. Or maybe, just maybe, this whole situation was driving me off the wall. After a good minute or searching, I gave up, turned around, and decided I should leave, or at least find Naminé. But woe, I have never been the most graceful teenager in my life, so as I was turning, I tripped over a stray curtain (tore from the window by the rage of some maddened drunkard) and was almost sent crashing to the ground. However, a strong arm reached out and grabbed me, pulling my body upright and on my feet.

A chuckle could be heard as a light but smooth voice said, "Heh, you need to watch your step. Maybe get some glasses while you're at it."

It was the same voice who had called out my name before. Now, my eyes opened wide to get a good look at him. He was tall, very tall, I might add. His hair was sent up in little red spikes (Sonic reincarnate? Maybe…) The man's eyes were jaded, small tattoos underneath them that glinted in the light shone off of liquor glasses. He wore a red T-shirt with flames embedded on them and tattered black pants. But despite his rough appearance, he seemed kind. I clicked picture through my head of all the seniors in Thallassa High. For a sophomore I had a pretty good repertoire of names to match faces, but this one wasn't in my mind. "Um, I'm sorry," I managed, spluttering my words. "Do I know you?"

He gave me a questioning glance, those eyes of his piercing through my soul, it seemed. "You tell me," he said with an enigmatic smile. "But that doesn't matter now. I know where your friend is." He released my arm and started walking away from me, back into the mess of people. I stood there, not knowing what to do. Could I really trust this guy? Or was it some trick? But then again, if I didn't find Naminé soon, who knew what would happen to her …

The stranger didn't look back, and he was walking fast with those long legs of his. After much thought, I bolted after him, trying to keep up with the mad rat race. Twists and turns were taken until he stopped with a jolt. Before I could even question why, I noticed that we were in front of a door. A normal wooden door with a blob of pink paint splashed upon it - more reason to believe this was Marluxia's apartment. The man with red hair twisted open the doorknob and flung it open, to reveal a small bedroom.

If it was any other occasion, I would've stopped to laugh at the fact that Marluxia's bedroom was painted pink. And I most likely would've taken pictures. And died because of the girly flower patterns on the walls. But my mind brushed past all these facts and I let out a gasp, seeing Naminé's still figure laying on Marluxia's pink sheets. My gaze turned over to the stranger's. "What did you do with her?"

Again, he laughs. "Chill man. I saved her. Little blonde knows how to party." He walked over to the bed slowly, striding easily with his long legs. "She overdosed a bit on the booze. Passed out. I dragged her in here before the other dudes could get to her … If you know what I mean."

He looked over at me, eyeing me carefully. "But I said, 'Hey, girl this pretty has to have a friend, right?' Before she passed out, she said she wanted Roxas. So I said to myself, 'Good thing I know who he is.'" I wanted to ask again how he knew me, but before I could he was prodding Naminé awake with a black gloved hand. "Party's over, kid. Time for you non-legals to scat."

My heart leaped as Naminé awoke, glad to see that she was alright, in some form. Blonde strands flew everywhere as she forced herself to sit up right, a slender hand holding her head. "Wha … what happened?" she asked in a daze. The man made a gesture over to me and with a silly grin, responded, "Your knight in shining armor has arrived."

It was then she noticed me, and I could only grin stupidly and wave. Heh, smooth Roxas. Real smooth. However, leave it to Naminé to find some energy while in a drunken stupor, for she flew off the bed and came bounding to me, wrapping her scrawny arms around me tightly. I could've died. But then again, like I've said, this wasn't a normal situation.

After I was released, her blue eyes met that of the redheaded man. "Who exactly are you?" she inquired, looking over the stranger with curiosity glazing in her eyes. He waves us away, no longer making eye contact.

"You'll get to know me better later on," he says with a slight smile. "Circumstances might be weird … Like this one, for instance. But you'll see me again. I promise."

**x-x-x-x-x-x**

Naminé kept giving me these thoughtful looks as we walked down the street to our own apartment complex. I could tell she was still thinking about that stranger, she just didn't want to ask anything. That was Naminé for you. The last look she gave me made me burst out laughing for some reason, which made her sport a miffed look. "What?"

"That face," I responded, trying in vain to suppress my laughter. "Just ask me already! You want to know about that stranger, huh?"

After a few moments of thought, the girl responded with a slight, "Yes." A finger entwined in her blonde hair, as she still kept her eyes fixated on me. Geeze, she knows I hate that. Sometimes I think Naminé likes to make me uncomfortable…. Finally she spoke again. "How did he know your name?"

I shook my head. Everything about tonight confused me, and the stranger was the most confusing of all. "I have no clue," I responded, while I stretched my arms out to the sky. "The important thing is that he saved you from getting raped in the ass by a bunch of drunkies."

"I guess…." she said, trailing off. We spoke no more until we came to the door of our apartment. My hand slipped in my jeans pocket as I fiddled around for the keys. Naminé watched with mild interest, since she's very aware that it takes me forever to find something once I've lost track of it for a bit. Finally, I pulled the key out, stuck it the key hole, twisted, then opened the door. "After you," I drawled as if I were a doorman. She laughed and went inside, shaking her head all the while.

The apartment complex where we live isn't that clean at all. Or sanitary. We both climb flight after flight of stairs just to get to our humble home. But hey, it's the cheapest two sophomores that have both been kicked out by their parents can afford. And, the landlord didn't bother to ask our ages, so that's a plus. Ever since high school started, we've been pooling both of our money together, and we're able to live here. We don't know how long this arrangement will last … but we take it as we come.

Finally, we come across our door. Number one hundred thirteen. Naminé has the key out already for this door, so I allow her to open the door. She goes first however, while I roll my eyes. I'm just glad to be home. Away from the craziness of it all.

**x-x-x-x-x-x**

"We have school tomorrow."

I looked over lazily across the room. Naminé's in her bed, the white sheets draped across her like she's some angelic figure. My raggedy black sheets over me in my bed, like a street rat who lives indoors. I didn't want to think about school tomorrow … Please, anything but school …

After some thought, I respond, "I know." I roll over in bed, trying to sleep. However, I couldn't. Thoughts of the stranger roll around mercilessly in my mind … And then I wonder. "Do you think he'll be there? Maybe he goes to Thallassa High all along. Maybe we just never noticed him."

"He's kind of hard not to notice," she voiced back sleepily. "But we'll keep an eye out for him tomorrow, right?"

"Yeah," I said, now rolling over on my back to look at the ceiling. It was then I remembered Marluxia's room. "And for Marluxia. I just _have_ to ask where he got his room done."

Fits of giggles could be heard as we both drifted off to sleep.

**x-x-x-x-x-x**

"I beat you!"

"Unfair. I call a rematch."

"In your dreams!"

She poked my chest playfully with a giggle as she said this, now turning towards the rather large white building. Our prison. Our school. Thallassa High. With a slender hand, she opened the door ever so carefully. "May the force be with you," she joked, rushing off to her locker. I smile and nod, act as if I'm moving over to mine, then turn around and head out of the door.

Homeroom? Please. What's the point of it? However, Naminé's a straight A student, and the thought of rebelling against the stupidest of rules would send her in a riot. So I don't tell her anything about me skipping out on it to go play basketball with my friends. I shed my black sweatshirt and toss it on the ground as I run, leaving me in nothing but a muscle shirt and my torn baggy blue jeans. Racing over to the court, I see my two best friends, Sora and Riku, waving me in greeting.

"'Bout time," Riku said with a smirk, tossing the ball my wall. "What took you so long today?" Riku was taller and older than both me and Sora, and he always seemed to beat us in just about everything. Whether it be basketball, getting girls, or even just playing in our band, (dubbed Oblivion), he seemed to always surpass us. That guy was everything. Today he copied my style, also in a muscle shirt and baggy pants, save his were silver. "So? What happened? Got held up making out with your girlfriend?"

I shake my head, passing the ball back to him. "She's not my girlfriend," was what I muttered, still grinning nonetheless. Sora laughed, motioning for Riku to pass the ball over to him. "Please! Is that why you live together?"

Sora could pass for my twin, no joke. He's the same height as me, has spiky brown hair in almost the same fashion as me, and we both have striking blue eyes. Well, most folks around here do … except for Riku, who's eyes are a verdant jade. Sora seemed to be left out, as he was dressed in a white T-shirt and shorts. The ball is passed to me and I catch it awkwardly. "Well," I start, dribbling it around. "At least I have one. You shouldn't talk though. You haven't even made it to first base with Kairi."

A chorus of 'ooohhs!' come from Riku and I, as Sora waves us off. "Yeah, whatever. You'll regret those words."

We always fool around on the court, tossing shots and never really keeping score. Why do we do it? We have no clue! But it's fun, better than sitting around in some small cramped room trying to block out the chattering of girls and their annoying gossip. By the time I heard the homeroom bell ring, I'm sweaty and tired and feel like passing out. Sora beats me to it, letting himself drop on the concrete swiftly, wincing at the slight pain that went to his head. "Life is good."

Riku plops to the ground, his breathing heavy and tired. He sits with his knee raised upright, resting his elbow on it. He seemed to tired to answer Sora, so I did it for him. "Depends…"

He eyed me from the floor, a brow raised. It was then he sat up, still catching his breath. "Why? Something happen with you and Naminé?" He always seems interested to discuss this topic with me, as if girls are all that's important in this world. I decided to entertain him. "Yes. No. Not really. Something happened last night…"

Now Riku seems interested, as his jaded gaze turns my way. "Did you…" he trailed off, looking for a way to ask his question,. "You know…"

"What do I know?" I asked, giving him a look. Oblivious.

The brunette laughed at this. "Dude!" he exclaimed, throwing his arms up in the air. "Do you still have your card?"

"What card?"

"Good God," Riku muttered, shaking his head. I truly had no idea what the two of them were talking about, so again I stupidly decided to ask. "What the hell are you talking about?"

"DID YOU DO HE-"

"Oh!" I exclaimed, laughing slightly. "No! Hell no! I told you all, she's not my girlfriend. It's just that … we uh … went to a party last night and …"

Sora interrupted me, his mind obviously too fast for my slow muttered speech. "And then you did her there?"

The silver haired lad punched Sora slightly in the arm. Not hard enough to injure but good enough to make Sora rub it and scowl, shutting him up for a second. "Continue?"

"We met this guy…" Remembering the redheaded stranger brought a chill down my spine, and the cold autumn air didn't help much in this situation. I ruffled my hair with a shaky sweaty hand and kept going on. "Naminé had uh … fainted and he took her away from the madness of the party so … you know …"

Sora grinned stupidly. "So someone _else_ wouldn't do her?"

"Shut up for a sec, will you?" Riku asked, elbowing Sora.

"And he knew my name. That was the weirdest thing. I don't think he knew Naminé though. And he said that we would meet again…"

After a few minutes of silence, Sora let out a low whistle, shaking his head. He stood up now, taking a hold of the basketball while he dribbled it around. Bounce, bounce, bounce. After a bit, we all stand up, and that's when Sora said, "Maybe you're being stalked?"

"He might go to this school," Riku said with a shrug. "Maybe we've never noticed him before."

"He's kind of hard not to notice," I butted in, shaking my head and quoting Naminé. "But, let's agree to all keep an eye out for the redhead?"

They both nod, and it's then Sora dropped the basketball on the floor. My little story had set us off course, and we were all devastatingly late. Not exactly a first for us, but nothing to get all hyped up over. As we all neared the building, as my foot was about to head in my 'prison' I heard my name ring out.

"Roxas."

I spun around, and my deep blue eyes open wide. I couldn't speak, I couldn't talk, but despite this I happened to get five words out of my mouth.

"What are you doing here?"

**a**.u.t.h.o.r.s.**n**.o.t.e.

before you get your chakrams in a knot, let me just state that this is not akuroku … for once. my sensei -sama's obsession with namixaxel got me thinking … but my roxminé obsession burns too much in my heart for me to write a fanfic with JUST namixaxel … so this was born. Ah, yes, this is AU. So no, this doesn't take place on destiny islands … destiny islands doesn't have apartment complexes O.o erm, yeah, so commento.


	2. Mistrust

.**d**.i.s.c.l.a.i.m.e.r

I do not own kingdom hearts, obviously, but I do own this hamburger which I am eating right now … Mmm, hamburger…

And I also do not own Panic! At The Disco's "Time to Dance"

**-x-x-x-- + -x-x-x**

**.c** h a p t e r **t** w o

.**m** _i s t r us t._

"I'm not entitled to a free education?" the stranger asked me with a grin. He was standing right in front of me, eyes piercing my soul, as usual., the tattoos under his eyes glinting in the sun. His arms were crossed, and I could see that it appeared that he had been under some sort of scuffle. I wanted to ask what had happened , but I could only stare. My sense of snappiness had been sucked dry. He caught me staring however, and I could see a smart remark forming on his lips when I decided to cut him off. "You have to be at least twenty something." 

That was for the 'free education' comment. This guy seriously couldn't still be in school! If he was, he had to be some really tall senior. And even then, it didn't explain why I didn't know him. Maybe my repertoire of names in Thallassa High wasn't as good as I thought it was. The stranger seemed amused by my comment and asked, "And your point?"

Again, I didn't answer. Finding my sense of movement, I twirled around to see if Sora and Riku were watching me get all tongue-tied around some adult. They're weren't. They were nowhere in sight. I could hear students groaning and pencils tapping inside classrooms, a place I had never wanted to be in besides now. I turned back to the stranger. "Do you go to school here?"

"In this dump?" He snorted, now turning his back towards me and heading away from the school. "No, I go to Xehanort's Academy for Music and Performing Arts. It's a college for _talented _kids, not just anyone can get in." Intrigued, I began to follow this guy, wondering where he was going. I forgot about Naminé at school probably worried to death about where I was. I forgot about Sora and Riku wondering why I didn't follow them. I acted without thinking.

He had been striding over to his motorcycle all that time. It was the first I had noticed it. It was a sleek jet black with flames painted on it the color of his hair. He hopped on and then looked to me, expecting me to do something. I just stood there stupidly.

"Look," he said with a sigh. "My friend was at that party the other night. He's in really bad shape, I can't tell if he's got a hangover or is still sloshed. I need some help to keep him sane. You in?" My eyes only widened. This stranger expected me to help him when he wouldn't even tell me his name? My was infuriated.

An accusing finger pointed at him. "I hardly even know you! Why do you want me to help you?" I awaited my answer. He only grinned at me again, adjusting his helmet on his hair in a way so it wouldn't get frizzed up. "You get to skip school."

I was hooked. "Deal."

He hadn't really planned on me helping, so he lacked an extra helmet for me. Not that I minded, I did tons of stuff without using the proper gear. I also refused to hold onto his waist. It was bad enough that I would be seen riding around with this college dude around school hours, but holding onto his waist was a whole different story. The ride was bumpy because of this, but I would've rather cracked my skull open than cling to him skittishly.

Finally, we arrived at a house. I was really surprised at this fact, because most of the people I know live in apartments. Even if they did have family, no one around here could afford to even step foot in a house. My eyes widened and he looked at me in question. "If you think this is something, wait 'till you see my place."

We got off the motorcycle carefully, and he made his way to the house as if it was his own, as if he owned it. I took my time walking, inspecting the territory. Lush green grass and small daises and dandelions could be found on the lawn, so luscious that when you stepped on it the grass seemed to spring a little. The house itself was a sunshiny yellow and white, the shutters painted yellow also with care. The door was also white, and the stranger rapped on it roughly.

It wasn't too long before we both heard a very girlish giggle and the door flung open, revealing a blonde woman scantily clad, hair frizzed as if she had just woken up. I squinted and remembered her as the woman Marluxia had ran off to chase last night, after interrogating me. Her name was also unknown to me. Maybe that was for the better, because she seemed delusional. The woman flung herself at the stranger, hugging him as if he was a giant teddy bear.

"You came, you came, you came!" she screeched in rejoice. "Oh, and you brought a cute wittle kid!" Before I could protest about how I was not little, she jumped inside the house, singing a song about lovely coconuts. I looked to the stranger for an explanation.

He only shook his head sadly. "Usually, I don't care about the well-being of Larxene, but seeing as how they made me responsible of her for now, I've gotta do something to get her back into shape. She's got an important play debut tomorrow at school." He made his way into the house and I timidly followed, wondering how I could possibly be of assistance.

The stranger seemed to know where he was going, because he made his way into her kitchen and fumbled around in the cabinets. I could only stand there and watch Larxene jump on the couch and sing 'I Will Survive' off key. Very off key. While trying to block out her shrieks, I began to wonder about the stranger's school. Obviously these two went to the same school, and it was very prestigious. …Did all smart kids act this way when drunk? Maybe their minds had been so used to being uptight, when alcohol made way, they lost themselves completely. There had to be a way to get her back down to earth…

I stumbled my way around the house, since the stranger seemed immersed in looking for something in her kitchen. It wasn't long before I made my way into her room. It was painted white, and was very orderly, not a book or pencil out of place. Out of curiosity, I picked up a random book off of her desk and flipped through the pages. It seemed to be about the structures of sadism. With a shudder, I closed it, wondering how a sadist could act so differently when drunk. And then I began to wonder if I wanted to help her get the alcohol out of her system. A sadist was not one to toy with. Or one to be friends with…..

However, if it meant being taken out of her presence, so be it. Clasping the book in my hands, I made my way back to the living room. The stranger seemed to be getting agitated with looking through Larxene's kitchen for whatever he was looking for, and Larxene herself had moved from 'I Will Survive' to 'Boogie Wonderland'. Which was worse, I wasn't sure.

I showed the blonde woman the book hesitantly. Pulling up a spaghetti strap from her extremely short shirt, she eyed me curiously. "Whatcha giving me this for?" she asked in an annoyed tone, clearly wanting to go back to her singing. Instead of trying to explain how she needed to come to, I sat on the couch that had been tenderized from her jumping on it and flipped open to a page. With that, I began to read.

The words and their meaning were gruesome, but it calmed down the drunken beast within the woman. After a few minutes, she took the book from be abruptly, turning the pages, consumed by it's words. I watched her read for a while, and saw the alcohol leave her gradually. Even though I had never seen the woman in my life before today, helping her out seemed nice.

Finally, with a triumphant grin, the stranger remerged from the kitchen. In his hand he held a mysterious black bottle with a number twelve written on it. When he saw Larxene reading calmly, he looked shocked, wondering where the drunken beast had gone. "Did you…?" he started off, and I only grinned. Laughing slightly to himself, the stranger delayed no further and uncapped the bottle, sticking it in the blonde's mouth. She looked angered at first, but then her eyes drooped. Finally, she fell down on the couch, fast asleep.

My eyes widened. "What did you do?" I asked. It was then he explained that the it was medicine that would flush the alcohol out of her completely. When she awoke she wouldn't remember out presence here. Which would be just as well. I got up from the couch and stretched, this whole affair had taken hours.

"Shall I drop you back off at school?" the stranger asked. "It almost the end of your school day anyway." I pondered this. And then I remembered all the questions I would have to answer to Riku and Sora and Naminé especially. This would be troublesome … But being back at the empty apartment wouldn't be as fun either. At least after I explained everything, they might understand, and we could all do something together. I nodded my head.

"Yeah, that would be nice."

**x-x-x-x-x-x**

A motorcycle ride later I was back in front of Thallassa High. After jumping off his vehicle, I stared at the stranger. He had been so nice, and he knew my name, yet I knew nothing about him. "You never told me your name!" I shouted to him, for he was getting ready to leave. However, I wasn't sure if he heard me or not, because he only grinned at me and strode away., leaving me there to question yet again.

A second after, the bell rang. Talk abut timing skills. I ignored the rush of teenagers fleeing past me, and I stood there, as if time stood still, watching the shadow of the stranger leave me gradually. For a while, it was a serene moment, until a chorus of voices behind me shouted my name. "Roxas!" they cried.

I spun around to see the very people who I knew I had to explain to. Naminé, her hands on her hips, looking wildly at me; Sora, his deep blue eyes looking more anxious than mad; and Riku, jaded eyes and face wearing a frown. It was Riku who spoke. "What happened man? You been standing in front of school like that all day?" He didn't speak about our basketball game and how we had skipped homeroom. For even though we always did it, Naminé didn't know.

And then Naminé spoke. "I was so worried Roxas! I could've only assumed the worst! I thought maybe someone had shot you in the halls and then stuffed your body in the janitor's closet! In fact, at break, I actually looked in the janitor's closet, but …you weren't there.. .but still!" She continued to ramble about all the possible things that she thought had happened to me, until Sora paused her.

"Chillax, he's fine, obviously," he said calmly, shaking his head. "He just skipped, that's all. So tell me, what did you do?" He seemed eager to hear of what had happened to me today, and not worried at all about me in the least. I grinned. This seemed to unnerve Naminé which made Riku sigh.

He took a deep breath. "Yeah, so since he's fine, let's all go to my place and talk it over. Besides, we have band practice today." This made Sora grin which made Naminé sigh which made Riku laugh, which wasn't often. It was agreed, but Sora said he'd catch up with us, since he wanted to bring Kairi along. We all agreed and set off.

**x-x-x-x-x-x**

Riku's place was always where we went after school. Well, not always, but most of the time. His parents are hardly ever home, and so most of the time he gets it all to himself. He says he envies me for having my own place already. He says if he could move out he would. I don't see why though. He doesn't have to work for his survival, like me and Naminé do.

I ran my hands against Riku's pillows, which were pure white. And fluffy. But they were the manly sort of fluffy pillows, according to Riku. Of course, not one said anything because me and Sora were jealous of the fluffy pillows. In fact, if I could steal them, I would. Today I took one of the pillows and squeezed it against my chest, rocking back and forth, waiting for Sora so I could finally tell my story.

We heard the door of the apartment bang open and footsteps walk in. I cracked my neck around to look, and saw Sora and Kairi making their way over to Riku's room, the room we were in. When they finally made their way in, Sora couldn't help but scream and "TA-DOW!" as his entrance, which made Riku roll his eyes.

Kairi giggled and waved at us shyly. Kairi's been hanging around us ever since kindergarten, and can be nice at times, but can be not so nice sometimes. And to tell you the truth, I really don't like her. If you squint, you can see that she's not totally devoted to Sora, and has some feelings for Riku (which every girl does….except for Naminé). One of these days she's going to rip Sora's heart out, and then disaster will strike. Until that day, I just deal.

She's a really skinny kinda chick with these big blue eyes and red hair, with some browns mixed in, so it's not as red as the stranger's. Today's she's in a pink halter top and short, short skirt. You don't even have to crane your neck to look up it. I shook my head, watching Naminé wave to her. Kairi and Naminé were best friends, but that still didn't mean I have to like her.

"So…what's up?" she asked. Sora was holding her hand, as usual, but her eyes were gliding towards Riku, who was staring down at the floor like he always does when no one's saying anything really important. Sora and Kairi both took a seat on the floor, as Kairi twiddled her fingers, wanting an answer. Naminé decided to answer her. "Roxas was just about to tell us why he skipped school."

I really didn't want Kairi knowing my business about the stranger and me, but it didn't look like I was going to be given a choice. I took a deep breath and clutched the pillow even harder. "You all know about the stranger, right?" A chorus of nods were displayed except for Kairi, who gave me a blank look. I ignored it. "Well, right asker bask- I mean … I had head outside for some fresh air, and then I heard my name, so I turned around, and he was standing there, just looking at me!" I heard a gasp, which came from Sora. "He asked me to help his friend, who was sick from this party. It wasn't anything big really, I helped her calm down and read her a book, and then he came and flushed the alcohol from her system. He still didn't tell me his name…"

Riku, now interested, took his eyes from the floor. He adjusted himself on the bed before he answered. "he trusts you enough to bring him to his friend's house? And you trusted him enough to go with him?" My throat burned. I hadn't thought of the stranger of anything but good. Maybe I should've been more careful. As if she could read my thoughts, Naminé nodded.

"Maybe we shouldn't have anything more to do with him, " she suggested thoughtfully. "I mean, he's in college. He's older than us. He's a stranger. Weren't we told not to talk to strangers?"

I didn't think about that point for long. "Mom doesn't really care what I do anymore Naminé, you know that. That's why she kicked me out. She doesn't care if I talk to strangers or get boozed up at parties, she just wanted me out of her hair. And that's what she got." Talking about my parents had always got me all fused up, and being the good friend that he is, Riku noticed this and tried to change the subject.

"Well, at least we know what happened. Glad to see you're ok, Roxas." he nodded deeply, and gave me a small smile. His features were always easy to read. He wanted me to do whatever I wanted about the situation. Follow my heart. He was always a deep thinker like that. Ether that, or he just gave really corny advice.

"Alrighty then," Sora said with a yawn. "Let's get some band practice in before Kairi falls asleep." It seemed too late for this, however, because Kairi was nodding off, bored because she hadn't been included in the secret about the stranger. Sora prodded her, and Kairi only mumbled something unintelligible. I didn't know what it was, but I swear it started with an R.

**x-x-x-x-x-x**

After a certain redhead had woken up and was refreshed, we made our way over to Kairi's house. By this point, my legs ached from all the walking I had done today. Because Kairi was the only one of us who actually had a caring parent and lived in a house, not an apartment, she allowed us to use her garage to practice in. Her mother's various cars could never fit in there anyway, she had said, so why not? Another reason to be nice to Kairi. She had money and she let us use her garage.

Our band equipment was still set up from the last time we had practiced. Grinning, we all took our usual places. Sora at the drums, Naminé at the keys, me holding the guitar and Riku at the mike, tapping it repeatedly to see if it worked. Kairi was our sex appeal. As screwed up as it was, that was the only thing she could contribute to Oblivion. Apparently, she had forgotten today we had practice, so she went to go change into something more sluttish. Well, she didn't actually say that, but that's what she was going to do.

It didn't take as long as she normally did. Again, her outfit was pink, but she had somehow managed to get her skirt shorter and her top cut higher. I blinked and looked away. Sora stared. Naminé was oblivious (she's a girl!). Riku's eyes trailed down to the floor.

"We ready?" my jaded eyed friend asked. After rubbing his eyes and bringing himself back to reality, Sora nodded. Naminé, Kairi and I nodded as well. Riku made the proper signals, and we all started in an explosion of noise.

_Well she's not bleeding on the ballroom floor _

_Just for your attention_

'_Cause that's just ridiculous _

_Well, she sure is gonna get it_

_Here's the setting:_

_Fashion magazines on the walls now_

_The walls line the bullet holes…_

I watched Riku sing in awe. I always get distracted when he's singing because his voice has that perfect pitch to it. He could win American Idol easily. My fingers fumbled around on the cords, and thankfully no one noticed. Well, no one except for Naminé, who giggled softly to herself and shook her head over at me. Christ, girls…

_You sure, you sure, you let her have it?  
you sure, you sure…_

Oh, whoops, we were playing again. This part didn't need that many guitar strings, so I could relax. However, I still needed to pay attention somewhat. My eyes wandered, glazing over Kairi's garage. The redhead herself was dancing around, as if we had a crowd, waving to invisible people. This made me wonder if she was on any medication of any kind…

_Have some composure!_

_Where is your posture?_

_Oh, no, no!_

_You're pulling the trigger_

_Pulling the trigger_

_All wrong…_

I remember once, when Sora and Kairi were out on this trip, and Naminé had stayed home sick, it was just me and Riku at his house. We were fooling around with lyrics and such, when I asked him out of nowhere how his voice had that perfect pitch. He had told me he never ate spicy foods, to keep his voice like that. I asked really, where did he hear about doing that. He told me he had heard of it from a 'Cheetah Girl' magazine. I laughed hysterically after that, and almost died, tears streaming from my face at how hard I was laughing. After I was done, I asked him if he meant that. He looked me dead in the eyes and told me yes, yes he did.

_Give me envy!_

_Give me malice!_

_Give me your attention!_

_Give me envy!_

_Give me malice!_

_Baby, give me a break!_

_When I say "shotgun" you say "wedding"_

As soon as he yelled out "shotgun" I yelled "wedding", to add diversity to the song. Shotgun! Wedding! Shotgun! Wedding! I always hated that part of the song, for it required me to do some sort of singing. Even though one could debate if shouting and singing were different, it meant the same for me.

_Well, she didn't choose this role  
But she'll play it and make it sincere so  
You cry _

_You cry  
(Give me a break!)  
But they believe it from the tears  
And the teeth right down to the blood  
At her feet  
Boys will be boys  
Hiding in estrogen and _

_Wearing aubergine dreams_

I eased up now, the song was halfway over, and Riku's distracting voice no longer had a hold on me. I took my gaze away from the guitar and looked around again. Kairi was dancing dangerously close to Riku, who was clutching onto the microphone for dear life, trying to inch away from her inconspicuously. I sighed and shook my head. This wasn't the first time this had happened, and Sora was always blissfully unaware of it. I glanced over to him to see him absorbed in playing the drums, beating at just the right moments. I began to wonder if everyone but me didn't seem to notice how much she wanted Riku. And the only thing that stopped me from informing Sora was the fact that our band career would be over if we couldn't use her garage.

_Come on, this is screaming "photo op"…_

_Come on, this is screaming "photo op"…._  
_Come on, come on_

_This is screaming, this is screaming_

_This is screaming, "photo op"…_

And what irony! This really was screaming, photo op! We may not be famous, but someone needed to inform someone that Kairi really wasn't what she seemed. Well, she did seem like a slut … and she was a slut, so never mind that theory. But seriously, one of these days, I would crack and spill everything. Best to keep my tail between my legs for now…

_Boys will be boys_

_Hiding in estrogen and_

_Boys will be boys_

_Boys will be boys_

_Hiding in estrogen and_

_Wearing aubergine dreams…._

I hadn't realized the song had ended. I was too busy watching the scene through confused eyes. As soon as the lat note had been sung, Kairi acted natural and moved away from Riku, who loosened his grip on the microphone. Sora looked up, finding a perfectly normal scene and Naminé continued to sit at the keys, smiling neatly. I drew my hand away from the guitar, a loud, unearthly noise emitting from it. Kairi flinched.

"You ok, Roxas?" Riku asked, putting a hand on my shoulder. I grimaced at his touch. No, I was not okay. I would never be okay until Kairi was out of the picture. But for the good of Oblivion, I would lie. I smiled. Oh, how I was good at fake smiling.

I hoped it was believable looking. "Of course. Why wouldn't I be?" Apparently it was believable because he bought it. "Nothing, you just had a faraway stare." His eyes looked saddened. I could tell he wasn't asking for this, that it wasn't his fault Kairi was attracted to him. This thought made me want to laugh. Oh, the woes of being sexy…

Sora gave his drum a final bang and grinned at all of us. "So, that wraps up practice for today guys, move out!" He gave Kairi a look. "See ya later?" He twirled his drumstick around, awaiting a response. He got one. The redhead smiled and nodded, rushing inside her house without another word. Naminé patted her keyboard (don't ask, it's one of her 'sacred' traditions) and skipped over to me. "Time for us to go to!" she chimed. I nodded, glad there was at least one girl in the world who wasn't a crazy slut.

And so we left the house of horror. We were going to wait for Riku, but he was still lingering around, fixing and tuning the equipment so that it would be in top form for our next practice. It was then I remembered that I had forgotten my backpack over at his house. Naminé, always careful, had hers slung over her back carefully and neatly, as usual.

"I'll be back," I told her frantically. However, I didn't leave until she nodded, recognizing that I had to leave. I made a mad dash back to Kairi's house, avoiding her mother waving over to be and greeting me with a, "Back again, Roxas?" I ignored her father who was mowing the lawn and asking what the hurry was. I flung open the door of the garage, hoping that it would be in there, praying that I wouldn't actually have to infiltrate any other part of the slut's house.

When the garage door opened, I gasped. I had obviously been in the wrong place at the wrong time, which is how most of my problems started. Half of me wanted to shield my eyes from the sight, and the other half made me want to slap a certain redhead across the face. I just couldn't believe it.

As soon as I had opened the garage, door a certain redhead grabbed Riku by the shoulders and pressed him against her body, his face against hers. Being quick to look for clues, I scanned Riku's face, which was surprised and disgusted. Pulling away from her, he shuddered and flashed her a cold stare. It seemed like he was about to tell her something when he noticed I was standing there. He glanced towards me, and decided to say what he was going to say anyway. "Don't you ever try that again," he said, his voice ringing out in sternness. I had never heard Riku use that tone of voice before. "If you don't like Sora, that's none of my business, but don't think you can win me over."

Another word formed on his lips. I could tell what he was going to say even though he didn't say it: slut. He wanted to bad to call her what she was. But he couldn't. Oh, the things we did for Oblivion. He then walked towards the exit - towards me - and shut the garage door, giving up on the task of tuning the instruments.

His hand touched my shoulder again. "We can't tell Sora. He'd dump her and the break up would be messy, you and I know that." His eyes looked worried, as if he thought I would tell. Sora and I may have been alike in many ways, but there were some things he'd do and some things I wouldn't.

I gave him a small but assuring smile, a real one this time. "I know. I won't. But I wonder … is Oblivion worth this?" He seemed to ponder this for a while, in hard thought.

Finally, he said. "It's not about Oblivion. It's about Sora learning a lesson about dating."

Silence.

"You know, I kind of came back for my backpack."

He laughed. "Right, let's go get it."

**x-x-x-x-x-x**

He made sure I got back to my apartment ok, which was totally unnecessary because I can handle walking all by myself. "I'm a big boy now," I told him defiantly. He laughed and told me to get moving. So I did.

He didn't leave me alone until I went inside my apartment complex. When I did, he waved to me in a carefree fashion and made his way back to his own apartment complex. Glad that this whole affair was over for the day, I climbed the flights of to my own apartment. The door was left ajar, so most likely Naminé had gotten back before me and left it open. And she had.

She was lounging in front of the TV, flipping through channels so fast you couldn't even se what was on. When I came inside the apartment and slammed the door closed, she looked at me expectantly, cocking her head to the side. "You got your backpack back?" she asked. In response, I dropped it down to the floor. "Yeah," was all I said.

**x-x-x-x-x-x**

That night was silent. I wanted to tell Naminé more. About the stranger, about Riku and Kairi, about Oblivion,. About everything … Oh, and great, tomorrow I had to go to work. And catch up with yesterday's missed assignments. Sighing, I tossed around in the sheets, trying to force my thoughts to not waver to sadder things. Like Mom, Dad, the home I would never be welcomed in again …. And somehow, through all that drama, I fell asleep, dreading and wanting the next day's events.


End file.
